For the first time in league history, a woman will suit up in the Canadian College Baseball Conference next season.
Vancouver Island University Mariners baseball club announced this week the signing of Alli Schroder, a right-handed pitcher from the Kootenays for the 2021-22 season. According to Baseball Canada鈥檚 website, Schroder is the first woman to commit to a CCBC program.
The 18-year-old Fruitvale native is a veteran of the national women鈥檚 team and helped Team Canada advance in World Cup qualifiers two summers ago.
After graduating high school last year, Schroder took a year away from school and has had limited opportunities to play baseball in a pandemic. She practised and played with the Cranbrook Bandits club team when she could, but has mostly been doing individual training, finding someone to throw to, motivated to play college ball and stay in the mix for the national team.
Schroder wanted to stay in Canada and decided that VIU was the 鈥減erfect fit鈥� for her to study environmental science and pursue athletics.
鈥淰IU had it all for me,鈥� she said. 鈥淎lso [being] from the other side of the province, almost, living in the Kootenays, I thought it would be a pretty cool opportunity to live on the coast for a little while.鈥�
She said she鈥檚 personally been 鈥渟uper fortunate鈥� in the past with being accepted on teams of boys and men 鈥� they鈥檝e seen she can play and contribute, so gender hasn鈥檛 been an issue.
鈥淚 know that this hasn鈥檛 been the case for a lot of girls,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 been teams that we鈥檝e played against that aren鈥檛 super receptive, but every team that I鈥檝e personally played on, they鈥檝e been awesome.鈥�
She said coming to the VIU Mariners as a rookie, she鈥檒l recognize her role, know that opportunities will come through work ethic, and will be ready to contribute to the team in any way she鈥檚 asked.
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Her change-up and her two-seam fastball are her best pitches and she鈥檚 looking forward to seeing how she fares against CCBC batters.
鈥淚鈥檝e always played against big guys 鈥� you kind of just have to find your own advantages and know yourself, know how you play,鈥� Schroder said. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited to see the competition and I鈥檒l just have to find my place there.鈥�
As for her place in league history, Schroder is willing to embrace the role of an advocate for women in men鈥檚 sports. Girls who play baseball sometimes switch to softball when they reach college, but Schroder said there are pathways to keep playing baseball and maybe she can 鈥渂laze a trail.鈥�
鈥淏ut at the end of the day, I鈥檓 also just a player,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited to contribute to the team any way possible and I鈥檓 more focused on just being looked at as a baseball player.鈥�
It鈥檚 official, RHP from Castlegar, BC is the newest addition to the Mariners 2021/2022 roster. Welcome aboard, Mariner!
鈥� VIU Mariners (@VIUBaseball)
editor@nanaimobulletin.com
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